Aradhana (Chiranjeevi, Suhasini)

[Dolce~oro]

What can go wrong with a Geetha Arts movie that has the following events in the first 15 minutes:
- A special dedication from the director (I presume) about how this movie is a poem writ en on the waves and it was filmed with love through the lens of the cameraman to the music of Ilayaraja
- close-ups of the crew and cast in off-shoot moments instead of the opening credits
- Chiru waking up from a hangover (or coming out of jail, can't remember, he does a lot of both) and beating up a bunch of rowdies
- a girl chasing after Chiru, who btw looks delightful in a white kurta and dhoti(?) while he is trying to chase her away. She also attempts to pull his lungi down.  

What can go wrong, I ask? Nothing. Not a single thing! For added awesomeness, there are moments that seem to be taken from the kiss-less version of Raja Hindustani  

Two things I really liked: the amazing soundtrack (and Are Emaindi popping up in some way or another all the time FTW) and how the theme of the ocean seeps through every scene, just beautiful, the ultimate repository for all feelings, good and bad. Also of interest the theme of the lamb, cute.

Chiru spends a lot of time in the beginning being drunk (and he's awesome at it) and pulling up his colourful lungis (he's also awesome at that  ). He also has an adorable scene where he comes with a pile of books in each hand to study in Suhasini's school. I think that scene just melted half of my brain with cuteness   Then he walks around for like 3 days with the books in his hands. I don't understand how a fully grown man can be so adorable.      

Overall there's good character development and the dialogues are actually interesting, even if sometimes overly poetic. I also find it fascinating how men can always say no to marriage so much easier than women.   But then I suppose it was the times too...

Do I even need to say that I love this movie?  

PS: And a bit of mama drama for jjake in the beginning  

PS2: If there's a thread for this film already, please merge, I couldn't find it.

[dustdevil]

I'm thrilled that you started a thread! I saw this a few weeks back, and loved it so much, and I'd been meaning to start a thread.

This was the movie that firmly cemented my girl-crush on Suhasini. I love her school teacher character and how she calls out rowdy Chiru on his bad behavior.

- A special dedication from the director (I presume) about how this movie is a poem writ en on the waves and it was filmed with love through the lens of the cameraman to the music of Ilayaraja
- close-ups of the crew and cast in off-shoot moments instead of the opening credits
zing soundtrack (and Are Emaindi popping up in some way or another all the time FTW) and how the theme of the ocean seeps through every scene, just beautiful, the ultimate repository for all feelings, good and bad. Also of interest the theme of the lamb, cute.

YES! the opening credits, just sucked me in immediately. And all of the song montages of Suhasini and Chiru studying on the beach. I totally "get" the appeal of Chiranjeevi in this film.

That said, the ending is one huge Super Fantastic-WTF?!-Tollywood Moment, what with Chiru staggering out the hospital and chasing Suhasini through the rocks, to the church. 

[Dolce~oro]

That said, the ending is one huge Super Fantastic-WTF?!-Tollywood Moment, what with Chiru staggering out the hospital and chasing Suhasini through the rocks, to the church. 

I really liked the idea with the bells (and how it was brought about to the viewer through that flashback earlier - less intelligence insulting than most Tolly references  ), but it bugged me that we don't actually get to know how it ends. I mean what are the odds

Spoiler (hover to show)

 of him surviving? 

Also, I kept getting the feeling that my DVD was skipping stuff, even though the time was going correctly, some scenes looked like they had been cut in half. Were there any songs with dancing other than whatever happens in the first one? My DVD didn't have any but at one point it looked like one was about to start and then it jumps abruptly to a completely different scene 

And I must confess I wasn't exactly clear on why Suhasini was upset with him when he came to the school. And why she would keep being upset for days. I mean, he didn't really do anything... 

[crystal]

if you like Suhasini , There is another hit movie 'Raakshasudu' with both of them together .It has great songs too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On5Hj4ShhAM

or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkmT1ayo6SM (better quality?)

YES! the opening credits, just sucked me in immediately. And all of the song montages of Suhasini and Chiru studying on the beach. I totally "get" the appeal of Chiranjeevi in this film.

[Dolce~oro]

I totally "get" the appeal of Chiranjeevi in this film.

Ahem... I "get" it ALL the time   

Thank you, crystal, as usual, a wealth of information  If Bhavani has it, it's mine 

[bollywhirl]

Thanks for the recommendation Dolce! I watched this last night and just loved it. My DVD also seemed to skip or have aggressively edited scenes so it did jump around a couple of times. The performances are just lovely and Chiru was heartbreaking and funny. He has great eyes. I really liked the discussions about love marriages and how Jenny had choices to make that would affect her whole life - it wasn't just a done deal that the heroine had to accept.

I'm planning to review it in the next couple of months so will have the pleasure of watching it again .... and again

Oh and as for the ending - It was still a lot more realistic than dying SRK ripping the drip out of his arm and running across Manhattan in search of Preity in KHNH. I mean - with his terminal heart condition that was making him wear blue lipstick? And why not just take one of the thousands of taxis he ran past?

[Dolce~oro]

I'm planning to review it in the next couple of months so will have the pleasure of watching it again .... and again

Oh and as for the ending - It was still a lot more realistic than dying SRK ripping the drip out of his arm and running across Manhattan in search of Preity in KHNH. I mean - with his terminal heart condition that was making him wear blue lipstick? And why not just take one of the thousands of taxis he ran past?

Oh yes yes YES! Can't wait for you to review it!

I laughed out loud at your comparison for the ending. Good point: there is much much worse! 

[bollywhirl]

OK I wrote it up. And I watched it again TWICE and I still got teary. I even cried doing the screencaps. I've gone soft! But...it's Chiru. Sob.

http://cinemachaat.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/aaradhana-1987/

[Dolce~oro]

OK I wrote it up. And I watched it again TWICE and I still got teary. I even cried doing the screencaps. I've gone soft! But...it's Chiru. Sob.

http://cinemachaat.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/aaradhana-1987/

ROFL! Ok, that's a bit extreme!  But if that's what helped you write that wonderful review, then I hope it happens again  This movie needs more love!

[bollywhirl]

It was RIDICULOUS. As I was skipping to the scenes I wanted to cap, I kept getting caught up in the story. And off I'd go 

Now that I have posted the whatsit, I did my traditional google for other reviews and some people need a good smack up the back of the head. I don't understand the type of thinking that says 'this was a nice film but a commercial flop therefore it is a bad film'. Sigh. That's why I'll never be a film critic I guess.

[jenni]

I was lucky enough for bollywhirl to loan me her copy of this film -  she is now officially my (Chiru) dealer.  And I am very grateful that she did let me borrow it because I loved it too.

I’m a sucker for a good romance anyway, and always a bit partial to a boy from the wrong side of the tracks (especially when he is Chiru dressed in lunghis in all the colours of the rainbow).  Along with the nicely written script, actually funny humour (particularly the bad hair references and even the falling down bikes became funny for me after a while), lovely settings, enjoyable characterisation, lovely performances, religious symbolism, intersecting love triangles... all of the right ingredients were there.

In style, Aaradhana reminded me a lot of the low key romances of Basu Chatterjee and Gulzar.  Well at least up to the very filmi ending with

Spoiler (hover to show)

mortal wounds and bells and god and love overcoming all

that is.  But still I loved it all. 

Regarding the debate as to whether or not the ending was more realistic than the one in Kal Ho Na Ho.  I’m not sure either of them would rate highly on the continuum of realism (right down the same end as the wounded dance off climax in Style I suspect).  And in response to 

... it bugged me that we don't actually get to know how it ends. I mean what are the odds

Spoiler (hover to show)

 of him surviving? 

I liked that it was ambiguous because it allows people with different moods or cinematic tastes to choose their own ending.  So in my world, (in answer to that particular question) Of Course He Did.

[jjake61]

I watched this tonight and I really loved it. Such a nice love story. I was glad

Spoiler (hover to show)

Chiru was miraculously cured in the end because I would have been so angry if he and Suhasini didn't get together in the end!)

The Momma drama was great.  And I just loved seeing Suhasini as a heroine and not a Mom or an Aunty. She is soo lovely. And I love Chiru's eyes. 

[CrossingRebecca]

Watched this for the first time last night, and this afternoon.  Lovely writeup, Bollywhirl.  Thanks for that and lovely screencaps.

My writeup is here http://www.bollywoodboards.com/showthread.php?tid=795&pid=30224#pid30224, but it is not nearly as good, except that I was able to find the songs with subtitles.

This is lovely.  And yes in the end

Spoiler (hover to show)

He has to get better.  He has Jenifer's tears, his bell-ringing does a kind of Hindu temple bell-ringing thing to get the attention of the Christian God (as well as bringing all the Christian people to witness their love) and Gangamma's sacrifice has to be recognized.  Their first child has to be named for her.

I love the fairly normal Christian life, the fact that in a Hindu-Christian romance the objections raised by both families are not religious, but economic and class-related.  I love the working of the Good Shepherd/Lost Sheep theme throughout the movie, despite the heavy-handedness of it.

Wonderful songs!

(And it never takes anything to make me fall for Chiru, but he was so much closer to human in this movie than normal.)

[bollywhirl]

Thanks CrossingRebecca! I'm so pleased you loved this film too  Chiru really is an amazing actor as well as heroic Megastar. Suhasini is a delight in every film I have seen her in.   

I couldn't access your link though - it said I wasn't authorised 

[CrossingRebecca]

Hmm.  Yes, I'm not sure why that board requires you to register to read the posts as well as to write posts.  In fact, perhaps I will ask the moderators.

Thanks for trying.

Suhasini is apparently Mani Ratnam's wife, and a film writer as well.  This makes me want to see her in more movies.

I do like Chiru when he's acting--I fell in love with him in Indra.  But I'm slowly watching my way through his movies, and sometimes I get a little bored with flying bodies and the invincible man of steel.  And even with the sexy dancer, though I love him as the passionate devotional dancer.

The contrast between Chiru in this and Chiru in Yamudiki Mogudu (both watched this week) was startling.  Amazing what a decent story will do for a movie.

I also had a question about this movie, as I thought about it.  Was that "lost lamb" a sheep or a goat?  Does Telugu distinguish between the two?  I was realizing that I saw a lot of goats in Southern India, on my too-brief trip, but no sheep that I remember.